Akatsuki X2
by GoneDrake
Summary: Before the Akatsuki was formed, Pain had a back up plan, creating ninjas almost identical to his teammates. Now, years later, these ninjas are on the run, and the Akatsuki are in serious trouble. Twice the Akatsuki, twice the fun? Or twice the danger?
1. Pain's Secret

_Crack, crack._

I froze. There was something there, something in the bushes. I could sense their chakra – deep and powerful. Like a dark cloud, drifting through the forest. Ready to strike.

A few steps forward, and I craned my neck. It was silent. Nothing but the wind whistling through the trees, fluttering from branch to branch. Leaves drifted to the ground, the branches suddenly deciding to let them go. Multi colored pieces floated through the air.

But the presence was still there.

I took a deep breath, gripping the kunai knife tightly in my palm. My uncle had made it for me a few weeks before I had left home; constructed simply of metal and three sharp points. Carved on the side was a strange symbol, something to do with the religion that he practiced every day. It was the smae symbol that hung on a chain around my neck. I was told that someday, I, too, would learn the way of Jashin, but I wasn't sure. It seemed pretty stupid to me.

"Come on out," I muttered under my breath, sure that my opponent could hear me. I scanned the perimeter, but nothing seemed out of place. No footprints, no tracks, no broken branches. They were obviously trained. "I can hear you…"

A green leaf sank to the ground, catching my attention. It fluttered around my head, covering my eyes, and continued to swirl. I batted it away, irritated, and turned around.

"I can hear you, too."

And everything went dark.

* * *

"Pain," Konan drifted over to where the familiar ginger stood, gently touching his shoulder. He had been watching the horizon for days now, doing nothing but concentrate. He was wrapped up in his worries, and she felt as though his pain was affecting the rest of the Akatsuki. "How are you?"

He just blinked at her, his once fiery eyes hollow. The hypnotizing swirl of the Rinnegan had grown dull.

Konan sighed. She moved a little closer, but seeing his posture go tense, retracted her action. He continued to stare blankly over the ledge of the building, an almost longing expression forming on his stone cold face.

"Please tell me what's worrying you," Frowning, she picked a palm sized stone from the ground, rolling it in between her fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it flying into the air. "You can't stay like this forever, Pain. It's not doing anyone any good."

She let her eyes drop to the ground. Pain could be very stubborn at times. His moods were like lightning; unpredictable as to where, and who, they'd strike next.

It had been a week since the Akatsuki had caught their last Jinchuriki; the three tails. They'd underestimated the jonin of Konohagakure. They seemed to never give up during a fight, and had threatened to reveal the location of the Akatsuki's hideout.

If she could guess as to why Pain was upset, she'd blame it on the fact that his life wasn't going according to plan. Or maybe he was just wallowing in past memories, reliving his childhood. Either way, the rain in the town hadn't let up for days, and that had definitely been Pain's doing.

Konan froze as an ice cold hand brushed a wisp of her blue hair behind her ear.

"It's time." Pain said softly, eyes still distant. They were clearer, though – swirling with forced decision. She took his hand. "Gather the others. There needs to be a meeting."

She nodded, careful as to not push her luck. He had spoken – that was more then enough reason to obey his every word. "Of course."

* * *

"Listen up." Pain stood in front of the Akatsuki, hidden by a cloak of darkness. He waved his hand, trying to get their attention. "There's a very important matter at hand, and it shouldn't be kept waiting."

A scoff was heard from one corner of the cave. His eyes narrowed.

"That's what you always say." Hidan muttered, rolling his eyes. His irises were glowing in the moonlight. "But it's always the same fucking thing. Capture the-"

"I don't care what you think, Hidan." Pain hissed. Two torches on one side of the stone walls were suddenly lit, illuminating the gloomy hideout. "I'm the leader here, and you're going to follow my orders."

"Fine, fine." The blond grimaced, running his hands over the blades of his scythe. Giving a sigh, he raised his eyes impatiently. "Well, then, what the hell are you waiting for? Get on with it!"

Against the light of the fire, Pain flashed his pointed teeth.

"As I was saying," He folded his arms across his chest. "There's something all of you must know."

Taking a deep breath, he began. "So far, we've captured almost all the jinchuriki. There are still four out there, running loose. And even though our top priority is to collect them, there's something else that has now come to my attention."

Konan frowned, dark eyes glimmering. She studied Pain's expression. He looked almost… nervous.

"Many years ago, before the Akatsuki was formed, I spent months on end searching for powerful ninjas who could assist me in my quest for world domination. As you know, I soon found all of you, watching your actions until I was sure that you'd be sufficient. I knew that I had chose correctly – it was apparent that you were all very powerful (and talented) – but I had no way of knowing if you could be trusted. There were ways of bringing you here against your will, by force, but then betrayal might have become an issue.

"So, as my back up plan, my "safety net," if you wish, I did something else. Something, I'm afraid to say, that was a horrible, horrible mistake."

"Where are you going with this, hmm?" Deidara called out, interrupting the leader. He looked uneasy. "What did you do?"

Pain growled. "I was just about to tell you, Deidara. Get your impatience under control if you wish to leave this meeting unharmed."

The blond nodded, slightly shaken.

"Now," The leader continued. "I did something that, at the time, seemed like a good plan. But now it's gotten out of my control, and sooner or later, it'll be too late to fix. When I watched you, I took samples of your DNA. Just a little, but enough to create children that would resemble you in most ways; and possess your unique talents, as well."

Pain's face had contorted.

"The project started out well. All experiments went perfectly, and soon, we had created young ninjas with extreme similarity to yourselves. They needed to be trained, so I split them up, and sent them to different villages across the nations."

"Then I began the Akatsuki, and they were all but forgotten. I hired many trained jonin to watch over them, but with time, I found the children had no use in my ultimate plan. I recalled all the ninjas, and let the children be. And everything had been working out – until now."

"You see, all information had been destroyed. Records, documents, files – burned. The jonin – killed. No one knew anything about the project except for I, and now, you. But for some reason, there was one little detailed that I overlooked when extracting your DNA. Not only did the children possess your qualities, but they held some of your memories, as well. They've began to question their existence, and wonder why they had these odd dreams of your past experiences. Their past is unknown. Their foster families have been able to provide them with excuses, but haven't been doing a good job. And now – they've begun piecing it all together."

"They're harmless on their own – not nearly as powerful as an s-rank ninja. But together, they may be just as strong, and maybe even… stronger. I had combined their DNA with some of my own creation, causing them to get stronger as they come together. This was a preventative measure – but still, could prove to be dangerous. Besides, we have the Leaf ninjas and Sasuke's cell on our hands. We don't need competitors."

"So, listen up. These ninjas need to be located, and captured. I'll give you a list of where to find them, and the rest is up to you. Be careful, though – some aren't as weak as they seem."

Pain let out a deep breath, relieved. He studied the Akatsuki's expressions. He tried to read their expressions, scanning their faces, but all he could find was genuine confusion.

"How…" Kisame trailed off, staring into nothingness. He pursed his lips, trying to word the question. "How do we know… if you're telling the truth?"

A murmur from the rest of the cave confirmed their suspicions.

"You don't think I'd tell you all this without having any evidence, do you?" Pain gave a weak chuckle. He snapped his fingers at the stone wall. "Behold, experiment four, or, if you prefer, Daniel."

Slowly, one of the cave's sides opened up, exposing a dully lit corridor. It was about two meters in width, no larger then a normal doorway. Gesturing to the shadows, Pain watched as a teenage boy was brought out of the room, held by two masked ninjas. He was tied by rope, mouth covered by a thick piece of tape. He was a prisoner.

"Holy fucking hell." Hidan's jaw dropped open, his eyes growing as wide as tennis balls. He took a step forwards. "What kind of twisted illusion is this?!"

"It's not genjitsu, Hidan." Pain frowned. He pointed towards the boy. "Meet Daniel."

Daniel had blazing purple eyes, and spiky white-blond hair. He had a strong, defined face, and a thin/muscular body. His outfit was composed of black clothing… even his eyelids were rimmed with black eyeliner. A strange symbol hung on a chain around his neck – the exact same necklace as Hidan's.

"Let him go." Pain ordered, motioning towards the guards. "You can leave now."

The ninjas threw the teen to the ground, ripping off the tape with a painful screech. Soon the ropes were loose, and Daniel was able to wriggle his way out.

"Why the fuck am I here?! He spat, glaring at the Akatsuki. His face was covered in dirt – a mixture of mud and rubble. "Let me go! I didn't do anything, dammit!"

Kakuzu chuckled. "I'm beginning to see a resemblance…"

"This is fucking insane!" Hidan yelled, barring his teeth. Stomping over to the boy, he grabbed Daniel's shoulder, seething. He spun his head around, and locked eyes with Pain, who stood, smug. "So, you're telling me that this kid is partially me?"

Pain nodded. "Partially."

"So, what else don't I know?" Hidan pulled out his scythe. "How far does "partially" go?"

"I'm afraid he's immortal, too." The leader's expression grew stern. "He has your personality, your abilities, your rituals… even your bad swearing habits. The only difference is his appearance, and the way his mind works."

"Is that so?" Within a second, Hidan had raised his arms, clutching his scythe with both hands. He lunged forwards… and drove the pointed end into Daniel's heart. Blood pooled on the cave floor. "Huh, just like me…"

"What the hell?!" Daniel took hold of the weapon and yanked it out. He then reached for his own, pulling out a three sided blade. In a moment it was pointed at his attacker. "Of course I'm immortal, you moron! Do you have any idea how much getting impaled in the chest _hurts?!"_

Hidan chuckled. "In fact, I do."

"This isn't funny, you bastard."

"It's a great feeling, isn't it? In faith of Lord Jashin, I love it."

"Lord Jashin?" Daniel's ears perked up. _"You_ worship him, too?"

"Of course, asshole!" The Akatsuki member sneered. He pointed at his pendant. "I thought you were listening! You're me, but a crappy, weaker version. Everything you are, it's because of me."

"Hidan…" Pain warned. "That's enough…"

"Are you fucking with me?" Daniel seethed, pointing at his own necklace. "I'm not you! I'm nothing like you! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Hidan, loyal follower of Lord Jashin."

"Tch, as if."

"At least _I_ know who I am!"

"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means your life's a lie, moron!"

"Why you little- I know more about myself then you do! I'd like to see you fight me. I'd find a way to kill you, I swear to Jashin!"

"Says the twerp who's being held captive."

"Fuck you!"

"No, fuck you!"

"I always wondered what it'd be like with two Hidans, un." Deidara snickered.

"Guys, shut the hell up!" Konan pointed to the cave's entrance, where Pain was seen leaving. He disappeared within seconds, without warning. "Now what the heck are we supposed to do? Keep him here?"

"No fucking way!" Daniel hissed.

"I hate to say it, Hidan, but that boy's got a dirtier mouth then you do." Sasori chuckled. Rolling his ash tinted eyes, he turned to leave, catching Hidan's attention. "You, keep the kid tied up. Pain'll have your head if you let him go. And try not to start any arguments with "yourself," okay?"

"Since when are you the leader?"

"Sasori shrugged. "I'm not. But Daniel's your responsibility now. We've just got to wait until Pain returns, and then we can start hunting down the others. Until then, see ya. Come on, Deidara."

"Un," Deidara stepped out onto the rocky ledge. "So if it's that bad with two Hidans, how are we gonna survive two Tobis, hmm?"


	2. Assignments

**Please read and review! It'd be much appreciated... 'Cause when people review, it makes me happy :) And when I'm happy, it makes me want to write more! Mua ha ha!**

***Gives people cookies* Now read on, fellow fanfic lovers, read on!**

* * *

"Hey! Hey, Kale, wait up!"

I turned around as Rosie sprinted towards me, her arms flailing madly. Her long black hair flew everywhere, strands covering her eyes, and I could see that one of her shoelaces were untied.

"Hey, Kale!" Rosie caught my gaze. She grinned, teeth sparkling in the sun. "I just wanted to see where you were-" She tripped. "Oww…"

"You okay?" Rushing to the girl's side, I grabbed her hand and pulled her upright. Her cheeks had gone red, flushed with embarrassment. I gave a chuckle. "Well, no broken bones, no major injuries… I think you'll live to see another day, Miss Rosaline."

Rosie scowled. "You think you're _so_ funny. Well, just you wait and see. Someday, I'll have become a powerful s-rank ninja, and you'll still be at chunin rank.

"Tch, dream on." I winked. "You're the one who can't even outrun a guy without falling on your face."

"Who said anything about- hey!"

I laughed, having taken off running. She followed close behind. As we passed by the Ichiraku ramen shop, I came to a halt, holding out my arm. "I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat."

"Same." The girl nodded, elongating the "s" of the word. I had always found it interesting how she would pronounce most words like a snake. "So, ramen?"

"Definitely." The bells of the shop rung as we opened the door. A friendly looking man poked his head out of one of the back rooms. "Um, two bowls of ramen, please. Both chicken."

The man nodded. He walked towards the stove, pressed open a number of buttons, and tore open a bag of noodles. There were large bowls already on the counter, so he disappeared back into the room, as we waited for the ramen to cook.

"So, where had you been going?" Rosie questioned, tapping her long fingernails against the counter. Under the dim light of the store, her skin looked as white as paper, like the pallor of a ghost.

"Into town." I replied. It had been just this morning when I had decided on heading out, and would have already been at my destination if my friend hadn't come along. "To… run some errands."

Rosie frowned. "Not a mission, I hope…"

"No, not a mission." I shook my head. "There was just something that needed to be collected."

"Oh, okay." Eyeing my expression, she looked unconvinced, suspicion in her eyes. It was odd – like she knew something that I didn't. "Can I come with y-"

"Ramen!" Her question was interrupted by the cook, who had placed two large bowls of noodles in front of your noses. Steam rose from the broth. I inhaled, smiling. "That's be 36 yen, please."

I reached into my wallet. "Actually, if each bowl is 17.5 yen, two bowls would cost 35 yen, right?" Pulling out the money, I placed it into his shocked hand. Rosie shot me a venomous look.

"Why do you always have to do that?" She whispered, sending an apologetic glance towards the man. He just turned away, obviously embarrassed by my quick catch. "It's like you're obsessed with money."

I shrugged. The statement wasn't completely untrue.

--------

The puppet was constructed from slim pieces of cherry wood, sanded so that it's surface would remain smooth and polished. Strings held the parts together, weaving in and out of the tiny holes, the braided rope providing extra strength. Jagged spikes crowded along the bottom.

Eyes had been painted on the top of the creation, as well as details that made it look all the more realistic. Pointed ears stuck out from the rounded piece of wood. And the tail… it's point held a number of needles in which contained a lethal poison.

Sorina ran her hands over the cat puppet, infusing her chakra with the work of art. Soon invisible strings were attached, and she was able to move it around without being seen from the shadows. This thought excited the red headed girl; sneaking around the city, unseen to all, making her puppet attack those who stood unarmed. With hundreds of weapons inside the feline's body, no one would be able to escape it's wrath. It was perfect.

"Sorina!" Umi called her name from the bottom of the staircase, impatient. Sorina had spent most of the afternoon up here, in the attic, and hadn't left the house at all. She'd been planning on going out on a night raid tonight. "I'm serious, Sorina! Get down here, now!"

The red head sighed. Her "mother" was always bothering her, preoccupied with what she did all day. She wished Umi would just leave her alone, or even better, let her leave home. If she could choose, she'd have left this strict town of Sunagakure long ago.

"You called?" Stepping down the stairs, Sorina raised an eyebrow. The woman that stood before her was petite – long, straight brown hair, deep brown eyes, and shiny lips. She wore a flowery red blouse, little tints of yellow highlighting the clips in her hair, and a knee-length violet kimono on top. Sorina rolled her eyes. This lady looking /nothing/ like her. "I was in the middle of something important, you know. Sometimes it's hard just to drop everything."

"Don't get sharp with me," Umi scolded, shaking a finger. She reached for Sorina's necklace. "Where did you get that?"

The girl pulled away, gripping the piece of jewelry tightly in between her fingers. It was a yellow colored stone, filled with flecks of green – tied by nothing but a silver chain. She'd found it outside her window a few weeks ago.

"It was a gift." Sorina muttered. She tucked the prize under her shirt, slightly nervous as to what Umi might do. And what would happen if she tried to defend herself. "Just a little thank you gift from a close friend."

The woman paused. But, to Sorina's surprise, said nothing. She didn't argue.

"Very well. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, I'm an old friend of the Kazekage's father, and he's invited our entire family over for dinner tonight. It's mandatory that you come along – he was very intent on seeing you."

"The Kazekage?" Sorina frowned, motioning towards one of the windows. "You mean, Gaara?"

Umi nodded. "Yes. We shall be leaving for dinner at eight o'clock. Be ready. And dress…" Her eyes scanned the red head's clothing, making her seethe. "…suitably."

Sorina scoffed. "Sure, whatever. But don't expect me to stay too long. Unlike you, _I_ actually had plans tonight."

And with that, she slipped up the stairs, quickly returning to her puppet. She stroked the cat's wooden head, fingers trailing over the microscopic holes in it's head. Through those holes were the pin points of hundreds of needles. In fact, it's entire body could burst with poison in an instant.

Chuckling, she checked off something on her notepad. Puppet – done. Now all that was left was the money… but that, she'd get tonight.

--------

"Listen up." Pain stood in front of the Akatsuki. He'd returned to the cave after a few hours, having cooled off from the argument before. "We must deal with the problem. Now. So I've assigned each of you a ninja of which you must hunt down and bring to me."

The Akatsuki nodded, slightly hesitant.

"Itachi, Kisame. You shall head to Konohagakure, in search of experiments 1, 3, and 11, otherwise known as Irial, Kale, and Rosaline. I have reason to believe that experiment 1 left the village long ago, but have no leads as to where he may have gone. Following in your footsteps, I suppose, Itachi."

"Whatever." The Uchiha muttered. "More importantly… do you know why he left?"

Pain gave a slight chuckle. It was dark and devious. "He took off after he discovered that his parents had been killed."

"Tch. Figures." Kisame grinned. He hoisted his sword, Samehada, off the ground, and threw it over his shoulders. "Come on, Itachi. Let's go hunt some brats."

As soon as the two Akatsuki left the hideout, Pain continued with his orders.

"Deidara, Sasori." His face grew stern, even though it hadn't been much different before. "Because you know Sunagakure so well, you shall travel there to find experiment 6, known as Sorina. She's an odd case, slightly ironic, but I'm sure it will be of no importance to your mission."

"Hidan, Kakuzu, your prey will be found in Otogakure. Experiment 8, known as Andrelyn. She grew up on her own, so be careful. The child is much tougher then she looks, and has _many_ tricks up her sleeve."

"Tobi, Zetsu, you're going to have to travel very far. Out of the land that you know."

"Leader?" Tobi interrupted, bouncing on his heels. He never seemed to run out of energy. "Leader-sama?"

"Yes, Tobi?"

"Why is the experiment so far away?"

Pain sighed. "I had never thought that their strength would be a problem, but I knew about it, nonetheless. Therefore – for safety reasons – I sent three of them away to distant, unexplored lands. Tobi, have you ever heard of North America?"

"No, sir."

"Well, it's north-west of here, and Zetsu has been there before. I chose you two for this task because of your ability to travel so quickly. Go to New York, and find experiment 2, known as Sam."

"As for Konan and I, we shall head out to Tokyo, Japan, another distant city, north-east of here. There, we shall hunt experiments 7 and 9, known as Naoko and Tsumi. All of you, report back to me once you've completed our missions. And under no circumstances may you tell the children about what they are. This could prove to be very troublesome."

"Alright, leader-sama!" Tobi grabbed Zetsu's arm, ignoring the venomous glare. Running out of the cave's entrance, he waved his hand maniacally, saying goodbye. "We'll be back soon, sir! Tobi's a good boy!"

Pain put his head in his hands. "God, help us…"

* * *

**If any of you need help with this, I'll explain:**

**Itachi - Irial (Iri)  
Kisame - Sam  
Kakuzu - Kale  
Hidan - Daniel  
Deidara - Dae  
Sasori - Sorina  
Pain (Nagato) - Naoko  
Konan - Andrelyn (Andy, or Lyn)  
Zetsu - Tsumi  
Tobi (Madara) - Madeline  
Orochimaru - Rosaline (Rosie)**

**Understand? Yay ^^**


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